BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province ranks first in the country in terms of mineral reserves, Secretary of the Iran Mining House’s branch in the East Azerbaijan Province Mehdi Mehrdad told ISNA, Trend reports.
“At present, the province has 8.8 million tons of mineral reserves. Of course, exploration operations are being carried out in certain areas, which will increase the reserves,” he said.
Mehrdad noted that East Azerbaijan Province ranks third in the country in terms of the number of mines. Currently, there are 837 mines in the province. Of these, 420 mines are in active operation.
The secretary added that the activation of the remaining mines is being discussed at meetings of province government agencies.
According to him, another reason for the large number of inactive mines in the province is the suspension of mining operations due to lack of funds, because operating in the mining sector requires large investments.
The official also said that more than 18,500 people are currently working in the mining sector in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province.
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